US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO1629

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001629 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD; 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL:  09-05-12 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PINS, KPAO, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Sri Lankan government lifts ban on the 
Tamil Tigers, clearing the way for talks 
 
Refs:  (A) FBIS Reston Va DTG 041504Z Sep 02 
 
-      (B) Colombo 1616, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Charge d'Affaires. 
Reasons 1.5 (b, d). 
 
1.  (U) Suggested press guidance for Department's review 
is contained in Para eight. 
 
2.  (C) Summary:  The GSL lifted its ban on the Tamil 
Tigers late September 4.  By doing so, the government 
acceded to a key demand of the Tigers, paving the way 
for the planned high-level talks in Thailand.  Most 
observers do not expect the announcement to result in 
serious flak for the GSL, but there has been some 
criticism from political opponents.  Suggested press 
guidance supporting the GSL's action and noting that the 
LTTE remains on our FTO list is contained in Para eight. 
End Summary. 
 
------------- 
GSL Lifts Ban 
------------- 
 
3.  (SBU) The GSL lifted its ban on the Liberation 
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) late September 4.  In an 
order to be published in the government's legal gazette 
soon, the Defense Ministry announced that the LTTE would 
no longer be specifically named as a proscribed 
organization under the terms of public security 
ordinances.  The announcement noted that the GSL retains 
the power to re-impose the ban.  The Defense Ministry's 
action effectively reversed the GSL's January 1998 
decision to ban the LTTE, which was taken in response to 
the bombing of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, a site 
held sacred by Buddhists. (Note:  The GSL had originally 
indicated that it planned to lift the ban on 
September 6.  Why it moved up the timeframe is not 
clear, but it is possible that astrology -- an important 
factor in Sri Lanka -- played a role.) 
 
4.  (SBU) By making the announcement, the government 
acceded to a key demand of the Tigers.  For years now, 
the LTTE has specifically set out the lifting of the ban 
as a condition for high-level negotiations.  The GSL's 
action helps pave the way for the first round of talks 
to take place as planned in Thailand beginning 
September 16. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Reaction falls on Predictable Lines 
----------------------------------- 
 
5.  (C) As foreshadowed in Ref B, reaction to the 
government's announcement fell along predictable lines. 
For example: 
 
-- Norwegian Embassy polchief Tomas Stangeland said the 
GoN welcomed the decision as it cleared the way for the 
Thailand talks. 
 
-- Kumar Ponnambalam, a MP representing the generally 
pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance, praised the move.  He 
was worried, however, that the GSL had made clear that 
it had the authority to re-impose the ban, which he felt 
was not a "good faith sentiment."  (Note:  The pro-LTTE 
website TamilNet highlighted the GSL's announcement in a 
September 5 posting, but did not comment on it.) 
 
-- Jehan Perera, the head of a well-known local think- 
tank working on peace-related issues, welcomed the 
decision, asserting that it was necessary for peace. 
 
-- The radical left, Sinhalese extremist Janantha 
Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party condemned the 
announcement, claiming that the government was rewarding 
terrorists.  The JVP promised to take to the streets in 
protest. 
-- Ferial Ashraff, a MP and head of the National Unity 
Alliance (NUA), was quoted as criticizing the move, 
asserting that the government should have taken care of 
the concerns of Muslims before taking the step. 
(Note:  The NUA maintains close links with President 
Kumaratunga's People's Alliance party.  As of late 
September 5, the President's office had not issued a 
statement, but Kumaratunga had made clear that she 
opposed the move in comments made earlier this week -- 
see Ref B.  End Note.) 
 
------- 
Comment 
------- 
 
6.  (C) The government's decision to lift the ban is an 
important symbolic step, as it allows the LTTE to claim 
that the government recognizes it as a respectable 
partner for negotiations.  (Note:  The decision actually 
has little practical effect insofar as the government 
has not been implementing the ban against LTTE political 
activities for months now in any case.)  On the other 
hand, the fact that lifting the ban was so important an 
issue for the LTTE tends to indicate a degree of respect 
toward the views of the GSL rarely shown by terrorist 
groups toward their opponents. 
 
7.  (C) As noted above, it is also a controversial step, 
which has provoked criticism, including from President 
Kumaratunga and extremist Sinhalese.  Despite the flak, 
most observers do not expect the announcement to result 
in serious political problems for the GSL, given the 
depth of public support for the peace process and the 
fact that the GSL has been carefully laying the 
groundwork for the announcement for months now.  As far 
as the U.S. is concerned, an important point is that the 
GSL wants us to keep the LTTE on our FTO list as a means 
of maintaining international pressure on the group.  End 
Comment. 
 
------------------------ 
Suggested Press Guidance 
------------------------ 
 
8.  (U) The following is suggested press guidance for 
Department's review: 
 
Begin text: 
 
The U.S. understands and supports the Sri Lankan 
government's decision to lift its ban on the Liberation 
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the context of moving 
forward with negotiations to end the conflict.  As we 
have noted before, we welcome the recent decision of the 
two sides to begin talks in Thailand on September 16. 
We also welcome the Norwegian government's role in 
facilitating the talks. 
 
The U.S. listing of the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist 
Organization (FTO) will remain in effect until the group 
renounces terrorism in word and deed. 
 
End text. 
 
(Note:  In response to numerous press queries today, 
Mission has already deployed key points reviewed in the 
suggested guidance above.) 
 
9.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
AMSELEM